cicero-第6节

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of　those　who　had　flocked　in　to　Catiline；　as　soon　as　they　heard　the



fate　of　Lentulus　and　Cethegus；　left　and　forsook　him；　and　he　himself；



with　his　remaining　forces；　joining　battle　with　Antonius；　was　destroyed



with　his　army。



　　And　yet　there　were　some　who　were　very　ready　both　to　speak　ill　of



Cicero；　and　to　do　him　hurt　for　these　actions；　and　they　had　for　their



leaders　some　of　the　magistrates　of　the　ensuing　year；　as　Caesar；　who



was　one　of　the　praetors；　and　Metellus　and　Bestia；　the　tribunes。　These；



entering　upon　their　office　some　few　days　before　Cicero's　consulate



expired；　would　not　permit　him　to　make　any　address　to　the　people；　but



throwing　the　benches　before　the　rostra；　hindered　his　speaking；　telling



him　he　might；　if　he　pleased；　make　the　oath　of　withdrawal　from



office；　and　then　come　down　again。　Cicero；　accordingly；　accepting　the



conditions；　came　forward　to　make　his　withdrawal；　and　silence　being



made；　he　recited　his　oath；　not　in　the　usual；　but　in　a　new　and　peculiar



form；　namely；　that　he　had　saved　his　country　and　preserved　the



empire；　the　truth　of　which　oath　all　the　people　confirmed　with



theirs。　Caesar　and　the　tribunes；　all　the　more　exasperated　by　this；



endeavoured　to　create　him　further　trouble；　and　for　this　purpose



proposed　a　law　for　calling　Pompey　home　with　his　army；　to　put　an　end　to



Cicero's　usurpation。　But　it　was　a　very　great　advantage　for　Cicero



and　the　whole　commonwealth　that　Cato　was　at　that　time　one　of　the



tribunes。　For　he；　being　of　（equal　power　with　the　rest　and　of　greater



reputation；　could　oppose　their　designs。　He　easily　defeated　their　other



projects；　and　in　an　oration　to　the　people　so　highly　extolled



Cicero's　consulate；　that　the　greatest　honours　were　decreed　him；　and　he



was　publicly　declared　the　Father　of　his　Country；　which　title　he



seems　to　have　obtained；　the　first　man　who　did　so；　when　Cato　gave　it　to



him　in　this　address　to　the　people。



　　At　this　time；　therefore；　his　authority　was　very　great　in　the　city；



but　he　treated　himself　much　envy；　and　offended　very　many；　not　by　any



evil　action；　but　because　he　was　always　lauding　and　magnifying　himself。



For　neither　senate；　nor　assembly　of　the　people；　nor　court　of



judicature　could　meet；　in　which　he　was　not　heard　to　talk　of　Catiline



and　Lentulus。　Indeed；　he　also　filled　his　books　and　writings　with　his



own　praises；　to　such　an　excess　as　to　render　a　style；　in　itself　most



pleasant　and　delightful；　nauseous　and　irksome　to　his　hearers；　this



ungrateful　humour　like　a　disease；　always　cleaving　to　him。



Nevertheless；　though　he　was　intemperately　fond　of　his　own　glory；　he



was　very　free　from　envying　others；　and　was；　on　the　contrary；　most



liberally　profuse　in　commending　both　the　ancients　and　his



contemporaries；　as　any　one　may　see　in　his　writings。　And　many　such



sayings　of　his　are　also　remembered；　as　that　he　called　Aristotle　a



river　of　flowing　gold；　and　said　of　Plato's　Dialogues；　that　if



Jupiter　were　to　speak；　it　would　be　in　language　like　theirs。　He　used　to



call　Theophrastus　his　special　luxury。　And　being　asked　which　of



Demosthenes's　orations　he　liked　best；　he　answered；　the　longest。　And



yet　some　affected　imitators　of　Demosthenes　have　complained　of　some



words　that　occur　in　one　of　his　letters；　to　the　effect　that　Demosthenes



sometimes　falls　asleep　in　his　speeches；　forgetting　the　many　high



encomiums　he　continually　passes　upon　him；　and　the　compliment　he　paid



him　when　he　named　the　most　elaborate　of　all　his　orations；　those　he



wrote　against　Antony；　Philippics。　And　as　for　the　eminent　men　of　his



own　time；　either　in　eloquence　or　philosophy；　there　was　not　one　of　them



whom　he　did　not；　by　writing　or　speaking　favourably　of　him；　render　more



illustrious。　He　obtained　of　Caesar；　when　in　power；　the　Roman



citizenship　for　Cratippus；　the　Peripatetic；　and　got　the　court　of



Areopagus；　by　public　decree；　to　request　his　stay　at　Athens；　for　the



instruction　of　their　youth　and　the　honour　of　their　city。　There　are



letters　extant　from　Cicero　to　Herodes；　and　others　to　his　son；　in　which



he　recommends　the　study　of　philosophy　under　Cratippus。　There　is　one　in



which　he　blames　Gorgias；　the　rhetorician；　for　enticing　his　son　into



luxury　and　drinking；　and；　therefore；　forbids　him　his　company。　And



this；　and　one　other　to　Pelops；　the　Byzantine；　are　the　only　two　of



his　Greek　epistles　which　seem　to　be　written　in　anger。　In　the　first；　he



justly　reflects　on　Gorgias；　if　he　were　what　he　was　thought　to　be；　a



dissolute　and　profligate　character；　but　in　the　other；　he　rather　meanly



expostulates　and　complains　with　Pelops　for　neglecting　to　procure　him　a



decree　of　certain　honours　from　the　Byzantines。



　　Another　illustration　of　his　love　of　praise　is　the　way　in　which



sometimes；　to　make　his　orations　more　striking；　he　neglected　decorum



and　dignity。　When　Munatius；　who　had　escaped　conviction　by　his



advocacy；　immediately　prosecuted　his　friend　Sabinus；　he　said　in　the



warmth　of　his　resentment；　〃Do　you　suppose　you　were　acquitted　for



your　own　merits；　Munatius；　and　was　it　not　that　I　so　darkened　the　case；



that　the　court　could　not　see　your　guilt？〃　When　from　the　rostra　he



had　made　a　eulogy　on　Marcus　Crassus；　with　much　applause；　and　within



a　few　days　after　again　as　publicly　reproached　him；　Crassus　called　to



him；　and　said；　〃Did　not　you　yourself　two　days　ago；　in　this　same　place；



commend　me？〃　〃Yes；〃　said　Cicero；　〃I　exercised　my　eloquence　in



declaiming　upon　a　bad　subject。〃　At　another　time；　Crassus　had　said　that



no　one　of　his　family　had　ever　lived　beyond　sixty　years　of　age；　and



afterwards　denied　it；　and　asked；　〃What　should　put　it　into　my　head　to



say　so？〃　〃It　was　to　gain　the　people's　favour；〃　answered　Cicero；　〃you



knew　how　glad　they　would　be　to　hear　it。〃　When　Crassus　expressed



admiration　of　the　Stoic　doctrine；　that　the　good　man　is　always　rich；



〃Do　you　not　mean；〃　said　Cicero；　〃their　doctrine　that　all　things　belong



to　the　wise？〃　Crassus　being　generally　accused　of　covetousness。　One



of　Crassus's　sons；　who　was　thought　so　exceedingly　like　a　man　of　the



name　of　Axius　as　to　throw　some　suspicion　on　his　mother's　honour；



made　a　successful　speech　in　the　senate。　Cicero；　on　being　asked　how



he　liked　it；　replied　with　the　Greek　words　Axios　Crassou。



　　When　Crassus　was　about　to　go　into　Syria；　he　desired　to　leave



Cicero　rather　his　friend　than　his　enemy；　and；　therefore；　one　day



saluting　him；　told　him　he　would　come　and　sup　with　him；　which　the　other



as　courteously　received。　Within　a　few　days　after；　on　some　of



Cicero's　acquaintances　interceding　for　Vatinius；　as　desirous　of



reconciliation　and　friendship；　for　he　was　then　his　enemy；　〃What；〃　he



replied；　〃does　Vatinius　also　wish　to　come　and　sup　with　me？〃　Such　was



his　way　with　Crassus。　When　Vatinius；　who　had　swellings　in　his　neck；



was　pleading　a　cause　he　called　him　the　tumid　orator；　and　having　been



told　by　some　one　that　Vatinius　was　dead；　on　hearing；　presently



after；　that　he　was　alive；　〃May　the　rascal　perish；〃　said　he。　〃for　his



news　not　being　true。〃



　　Upon　Caesar's　bringing　forward　a　law　for　the　division　of　the　lands



in　Campania　amongst　the　soldiers；　many　in　the　senate　opposed　it；



amongst　the　rest；　Lucius　Gellius；　one　of　the　oldest　men　in　the



house；　said　it　should　never　pass　whilst　he　lived。　〃Let　us　postpone



it；〃　said　Cicero；　〃Gellius　does　not　ask　us　to　wait　long。〃　There　was



a　man　of　the　name　of　Octavius；　suspected　to　be　of　African　descent。



He　once　said；　when　Cicero　was　pleading；　that　he　could　not　hear　him；



〃Yet　there　are　holes〃　said　Cicero；　〃in　your　ears。〃　When　Metellus　Nepos



told　him　that　he　had　ruined　more　as　a　witness　than　he　had　saved　as



an　advocate；　〃I　admit；〃　said　Cicero；　〃that　I　have　more　truth　than



eloquence。〃　To　a　young　man　who　was　suspected　of　having　given　a



poisoned　cake　to　his　father；　and　who　talked　largely　of　the



invectives　he　meant　to　deliver　against　Cicero；　〃Better　these〃



replied　he；　〃than　your　cakes。〃　Publius　Sextius；　having　amongst



others　retained　Cicero　as　his　advocate　in　a　certain　cause；　was　yet



desirous　to　say　all　for　himself；　and　would　not　allow　anybody　to



speak　for　him；　when　he　was　about　to　receive　his　acquittal　from　the



judges；　and　the　ballots　were　passing；　Cicero　called　to　him；　〃Make



haste；　Sextius；　and　use　your　time；　to…morrow　you　will　be　nobody。〃　He



cited　Publius　Cotta　to　bear　testimony　in　a　certain　cause；　one　who



affected　to　be　thought　a　lawyer；　though　ignorant　and　unlearned；　to



whom；　when　he　had　said；　〃I　know　nothing　of　the　matter；〃　he　answered



〃You　think；　perhaps；　we　ask　you　about　a　point　of　law。〃　To　Metellus



Nepos；　who；　in　a　dispute　between　them；　repeated　several　times；　〃Who



was　your　father；　Cicero？〃　he　replied；　〃Your　mother　has　made　the　answer



to　such　a　question　in　your　case　more　difficult；〃　Nepos's　mother　having



been　of　ill…repute。　The　son；　also；　was　of　a　giddy；　uncertain　temper。



At　one　time　he　suddenly　thre